Careers stay a priority in young marriages, but being partners in business as well as life sweetens the deal. Since tying the knot after a two-year courtship, Daphne Teo and Jeffrey Lu have proven that combining their strengths brings out the best in each other both at the office and at home.

Work is a major part of their lives — Daphne is chief investment officer at D3 Capital, her family’s privately owned investment firm and where Jeffrey serves as an advisor. They are also managing directors at Goodman Capital, a venture capital company co-founded by Jeffrey. But they stay in sync by seeking each other’s advice and consent before launching projects.

In the little spare time they have, Daphne and Jeffrey enjoy food, wine, travel, and playing with their three Ragdoll cats. They also make it a point to return to Joël Robuchon Restaurant, at which they had booked out to celebrate their wedding, for their anniversaries.

How have your lives changed since you became husband and wife?

DT: I think married lives shouldn’t change a lot. We still do the same things while we were dating and we are just as committed to each other.

JL: I don’t think the marriage itself has changed too much. We’ve certainly become more settled and focused. Being busy and getting older has made us realise the value of time and we treasure experiences together more.

What did you learn about each other after marriage that you hadn’t known before?

DT: We knew almost everything about each other before our marriage, but I guess I did not know the extent of his messiness.

JL: I didn’t realise how clean she likes everything to be! Especially since she’s an animal person and our cats inevitably create some mess, but she’s less tolerant of my mess!

Tell us about your first fight as a married couple.

DT: It was probably about our first home: Where we wanted to live and the design direction. We both had strong opinions about this, so over many discussions we got to know what was fundamentally important to each other, and we reasoned through many options. Compared to when we were dating, during which decisions were about where to travel, what to eat and so on, this process was different as the cost involved was higher and it would be a decision that we’d literally have to live with for years.

Who has the final word if you disagree?

DT: It depends. For example, food and wine are important to Jeff, so when we disagree on what to eat, he usually gets the final say. Our home is more important to me so I get the final say on home design.

JL: We try to find the logical move in each situation. Decision-making is a constant process of discovery. We learn more about each other; we get better at understanding what matters more to whom, and we’re more aware of what we can get away with and what we need to concede!

What advice would you give couples looking to tie the knot soon?

DT: Don’t put labels and expectations on each other. Don’t say that because he is the husband, he should do this, or if he loves me, he will act that way. The more we treat each other as best friends, the happier we’ll be.

JL: Treasure your time together as newlyweds; Having the dating game settled means more opportunities to focus on each other and the experiences. Inevitably other demands start imposing on your lives, such as building a family and growing a career, so it’s a special time to savour together.